As is probably blindingly obvious from the last few posts, I now have Breath of the Wild! This means I'm now trying to blog four different Zelda games. This can't possibly go wrong :)

Open your eyes...

Introduction

First things first, the visuals are absolutely amazing. It's as if Studio Ghibli decided to make a Zelda film. In particular, the view when you first leave the Shrine of Resurrection is breathtaking - you get to gaze out over all of Hyrule, and the world truly does look massive - with some tall spire straight ahead, presumably Death Mountain slightly to the side, and over to the right (which happens to be where the magitek Sheikah Slate is directing me to) what must be the Temple of Time? It certainly puts me in mind of the Ocarina of Time one.

It also feel like no other Zelda game I've played before. All the other ones (well, the 3D ones) start off with some immediate interaction with another character, whereas this one doesn't. It just gives you the world in front of you, ready to explore. Well, okay, after a bit of exploring I found the Old Man who seems suspiciously clued-up on everything, and not at all surprised by Link randomly appearing in the world. In particular he seems to know an awful lot about the Sheikah Slate...

Anyway, onwards to the next bit of Plot. I'd picked up a random tree branch, which was just as well as a random monster sprung out of some bushes and had at me. Not that a tree branch is a particularly good weapon - it broke after a few rounds, so I had to use another branch to finish it off. I then broke the second branch swatting a Chuchu jelly. The first monster did at least drop an axe so I had something a bit more effective to use. Given how well the first bit of combat went, I decided to sneak around a clump of monsters and instead take on an isolated one off to the side, breaking a third tree branch in the process but gaining a sword from the monster. I consider that a fair exchange :)

Finally, I've reached the waypoint, and there's some weird plinth thing to dock the Slate into. Doing so causes a whole collection of towers to spring up, all across the land. And is that Hyrule Castle in the distance? The weird swirling purple stuff with what looks rather like Ganon in it does look rather ominous...

Try... Try to remember...

Dungeon 1

Climbing down I find the Old Man again, who points out that getting to Hyrule Castle is a little tricky given the sheer cliffs all around this plateau. But - he's got a paraglider, which he'll give me in exchange for some unspecified treasure in a ruin. So, onwards to the Oman Au Shrine, with a mysterious Magnesis Trial within. And a Slate upgrade: mysterious magitek magnetism manipulation! Which I promptly used to deal with an annoying spider-robot-thing in the next room by repeatedly flattening it with a metal cube. These Sheikah seem quite technologically advanced...

And the reward is... a mysterious Spirit Orb from a mysterious monk! Er, okay? I was expecting something a bit more, but then again I was also expecting a rather longer trial than just moving a few steel platforms around and dealing with a single minor enemy. Having said that I did also find a chest off to one side containing a small bow, so I'm happy now that I have my archer Link.

Anyway, head out for a paraglider, and find that the Old Man has changed his mind. Cheeky so-and-so. He now wants me to collect even more treasure for it. Ah well, onwards to exploration!